“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:3-12)
Let us praise our beautiful King. A generous and loving Father. Our sweet Comforter and good Friend. Meditate on what our Savior has done and let that be your drive for all that you do.
I can say with confidence to you, that if we know who Jesus truly is, He looks unto you not as what you deserve, but with a beautiful smile and His eyes warm and welcoming and filled with so much love for you. His hand outstretched to you as it has always been, holding you in his arms and wrapped in His perfect love, in which the darkness can not find you and all fear is cast away.
Go and love and give and forgive like Christ did for you, to all those around you, whether you think they deserve it or not. Let the love that surrounds you bring conviction and transformation than what your words could ever say.
Our 7 Day Jericho March will start next week on Monday, October 25th- Sunday, October 31st. We will be meeting at Santa Teresa (5290 McNutt Rd) every day from 6 pm-7 pm. Each day is a different prayer intention with a Pastor or Priest leading. Hope to see you and let’s come believing that God will close another clinic down in Jesus name.
Devotional for Day 32Scripture: The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne. — Revelation 12:4-5 Reflection: You don’t need to be a theological scholar to get the essential point of Revelation 12. Something BIG is afoot. It has something to do with the birth of Christ and the children of God. It involves a war in heaven, with powers and principalities beyond our expertise. But the battles are fought here on earth. The crux of the matter centers around the babe of Bethlehem and the cross of Calvary. It continues to unfold down through the ages, through us, the children of God, who put their faith in Christ and take up their cross and follow him. We are waging a war of love against all things that destroy body and soul. The intensity waxes and wanes, but like labor pains, they grow and culminate in new life. The unleashing of legal abortion nearly 40 years ago stirred up prayer (lamentation really). Many were then led to start pregnancy help centers and maternity homes. Today there are over 3,000 such ministries that did not exist 40 years ago. They reflect a movement of God on our watch: Christians driven to give their time and charity to end abortion one woman at a time. Let’s pray this movement expands worldwide. Let’s pray for thousands more Christians to start, serve and support pregnancy help centers. Prayer: O God, from generation to generation, you have called your people to be the very aroma of life amidst a culture of death. Now it is our turn. Prepare me. Send me. Use me. I am eager to do my part. Stir your people every where to take up this great work. |
